


Under Your Spell

by Mikauzoran



Series: Productive Procrastination Prompt Giveaway [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Aged-Up (20), Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Love Potion/Spell, Mutual Pining, Pining, Potions Accident, Potions Shop, Romance, The Umbrella Scene Re-Imagined, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26448043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikauzoran/pseuds/Mikauzoran
Summary: In which Adrien and Marinette run a potions shop together, and Marinette spilling a love potion on them is the catalyst they need to confess their feelings.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Productive Procrastination Prompt Giveaway [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922590
Comments: 41
Kudos: 238





	Under Your Spell

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I'm Mikau. Welcome to new and veteran readers alike; I'm so pleased to have you. ^o^
> 
> This story came about because I was bored and asked on Tumblr for people to send in prompts for me to work on so that I could still feel productive even while procrastinating on writing Chapter Thirty-Eight of Serendipity. This is the first one I got. It's from an anon.
> 
> Prompt: spooky szn theme!!! adrienette where they run an apothecary or potions shop together :)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the story!

“You know, it was a really good idea to get a stack of those suicide prevention hotline business cards and keep them by the register,” Adrien announced as he entered the back room of the apothecary where Marinette was up on a ladder taking inventory.

“Did you get another customer trying to buy poison?” Marinette hummed as she jotted down that they were running low on cruelty-free mermaid’s tears in her notebook.

“Yeah,” he sighed wearily, coming to lean on the shelf beside her ladder. “Some guy just a little younger than we are said he’d lost his wife, so he wanted to go break into her family mausoleum and die by her side.”

“Somehow, that kind of thing always seems more romantic in fiction,” Marinette mused, peeking into the drawer of synthetic dog tongues and beginning to count. “How did he react when you gave him the card?”

Adrien shrugged and sighed again. “I mean, he took it, but…I don’t know. He said he’d think about talking to someone. He was kind of indignant that I wouldn’t sell him what he wanted, though.”

Marinette pursed her lips, peering down at her partner in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Adrien. I know it really distresses you, but you’re doing your best, and maybe that guy really will call the number and get some help.”

He gazed up at her sadly. “Thanks, Marinette. I just…It’s really upsetting because I thought this whole apothecary scheme would be so different. I thought it’d be like running a magical smoothie shop where we used our powers for good. I thought we’d be helping people with their joint pain or making their skin clearer or their hair shinier. I thought we’d be making potions that gave people confidence or energy or helped settle their stomachs or improve their circulation or increase their fertility. I wanted to _help_ people,” he lamented.

“I know,” she cooed gently. “And you do, Adrien. You do. Two times out of ten the people who come here need help to start a family or cure their warts or some other home remedy, and you _do_ help them.”

“But eight times out of ten, we get people trying to poison themselves or others and creepers trying to get love potions so they can make some hapless guy or girl fall in love with them,” Adrien spat bitterly, crossing his arms. “I am so sick of people trying to rope me into their heinous schemes.”

“I know,” Marinette repeated compassionately. “If I could make it better for you, I would.”

He whipped his head around to look up at her, a serious frown etched into his face. “Do we have any love potions in stock right now?”

“Um… Let me see.” She stretched to reach the drawer. “It looks like we have a couple. Why?”

“Bring them down here, please,” he instructed. “We’re getting rid of them. As of today, we no longer do love potions. They’re unethical and better off left to the realm of fiction.”

“That’s probably for the best,” Marinette agreed, stowing her notebook and pen in her back pocket so that she could load up one arm with the vials and still have a free hand with which to hold onto the ladder as she climbed down.

The descent went well until the third from last rung.

Marinette misstepped, overcorrected, and fell.

Adrien caught her, but the potions went flying out of her grasp, their stoppers coming out in midair and their contents raining down upon the two shop proprietors.

“Are you okay?” Adrien demanded, stepping out of the circle of broken glass before gently lowering Marinette to the ground. “You’re not hurt, are you? Did you get cut?” He sank to the floor beside her, his tone just on this side of panicked.

“No, no. I’m fine,” she hurriedly assured, wiping her glasses clean on her apron so she could see to inspect him. “Are _you_ okay? I’m so sorry. I’m such a klutz. I didn’t mean to—”

“—Marinette, don’t even worry about it. It’s fine. _I’m_ fine. Sticky,” he noted with a sigh, “but fine.”

There was a beat during which they both took stock of their situation.

“I spilled love potions on you,” Marinette noted with a sort of detached horror.

“And on yourself,” he added helpfully, rubbing at a spot of gloop on his cheek.

“Oh my gosh,” she hissed, covering her face with her hands. “No, no, no. I am _so_ sorry.”

“I’m sure it’ll wash out. Don’t worry about it,” he stressed, trying to reassure her.

Her head jerked up, and she looked at him with a desperation to be understood. “You have to believe me, Adrien. I would _never_ -ever-ever use a love potion to try to get you to fall in love with me. I know how you feel about love potions, and I totally agree, so I would never violate your trust and try to circumvent your free will like that!”

Adrien clapped a hand over his mouth as his eyes went wide in comprehension. He cursed softly under his breath in what Marinette thought might be Russian.

“Adrien, I promise I didn’t do this on purpose,” Marinette begged, praying he’d believe her.

“No, I know,” he assured, covering his face with his hands and groaning.

He wasn’t sure if love potions had any effect through the skin or if they had to be ingested. Had Marinette gotten any in her mouth? He couldn’t be certain.

Chances were, he— _already_ in love with Marinette—would not feel the effects of the potion, but she might, and if she did, he’d spend the next week or two miserable as the woman he loved returned his feelings only until the potion ran its course. It would be torture to have her fawn over him and blush and flirt. He would know it wasn’t real, just an illusion to torment him with visions of what he could never have.

“Today sucks,” he announced.

Marinette looked away, cheeks burning as she internally churned in her own misery. “…Do you feel any different yet?” she inquired conversationally in an attempt to disguise her dismay.

“No,” he mumbled. “Do you?”

She shook her head. “I think love potions take a while to kick in. Maybe you won’t start feeling attracted to me until this evening.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” He shrugged apathetically. “I guess the only thing we can do is behave like responsible adults about this.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we won’t act on any feelings we develop for each other,” he explained. “I mean, we’re under the influence of a magic potion, so we’re not able to properly give consent, and if anything happened between us, that would be tantamount to forcing ourselves on one another, wouldn’t it?”

Marinette blanched as she thought of how Adrien would despise her when he came back to his senses if she gave in to temptation and kissed him while he was under the love spell.

“R-Right,” she choked. “And even if one of us had feelings for the other before the love potion, it would be a crappy thing to do to take advantage of the situation.”

Now it was Adrien’s complexion’s turn to go chalky.

She knew about his feelings for her. She had to know; otherwise, why would she bring up the scenario of one of them having feelings for the other predating the love potion?

“But neither one of us is a bad person, so we won’t have that issue,” she laughed nervously.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, suddenly feeling extremely low.

“…Yeah,” she repeated to fill the silence that hung heavily between them.

Adrien sighed, looking around them at the broken glass vials and spilled magenta potions. “…Can we just clean this up and go home for the day?” he inquired pleadingly. “I don’t think I can do the afternoon shift, but I don’t want to bail and leave you with all the work.”

“Let’s just go home,” she easily agreed, giving his knee a tentative pat. “Let’s get washed up and order Chinese take away for lunch.”

“Yeah.” He shot her a grateful smile. “That sounds like a plan.”

Back at their apartment, the meal was tense and mostly silent.

Afterwards, they camped out on the couch for a few hours binge-watching Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Dinner was a simple affair of pasta con broccoli chased by raspberry lemon cheesecake bars, and then Marinette and Adrien retired to their bedrooms for the night.

The next few days passed awkwardly with Adrien and Marinette giving each other a wide berth and practically jumping out of their skins when their hands brushed as they both reached for an item on the shelf or when they accidentally bumped into one another behind the narrow shop counter.

“I am so sorry,” Adrien hurriedly apologized when his hand touched hers as they made dinner together on day five of their ordeal.

Marinette winced at his brusque tone.

All week he had been so cranky. Their usual easy camaraderie with all of its teasing and joking was gone, replaced by a tense atmosphere and depressing silence.

Marinette was surprised at how distant a person could feel even as they stood right beside her.

“It’s okay,” she assured, meekly, stepping back and giving him space to add the spices to the tortellini soup they were making.

With a bowed head, he stepped in, giving the pot a stir.

Marinette frowned as she watched him. “…You look miserable.”

He shrugged, not bothering to deny it.

“Wanna talk about it?” Tentatively, she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

Adrien shuddered, internally chastising himself for the rush of pleasure her touch caused inside of him.

Seeing what she perceived as discomfort, Marinette pulled her hand back. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Is it the love spell?”

With a heavy sigh, Adrien switched off the stove and turned to face her. “Marinette, I’m not under the effects of a love spell.”

Her eyes went as wide as thimbles. “You’re…not?”

He shook his head glumly. “As I think you already know, I’ve had feelings for you for a long time. Ever since we met in Madame Mendeleiev’s potions class when we were thirteen, actually.” He smiled sadly. “We were lab partners, and you completely blew me away with the potion you cooked up that made your outfit change colours. You were so pretty and smart and genuinely a good person. You were always using your powers to help other people. I’ve always loved and admired that about you.”

He looked up to find her gaping at him, and he winced. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’d understand if you wanted to start looking for a different roommate or if you didn’t want to run the shop together anymore,” he mumbled, looking away again and rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I made things awkward. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. This week has been brutal. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to return my feelings, but I never wanted it to be because of a love potion.”

Marinette reached out and took his hands in hers. “Me too.”

He blinked at her in confusion. “Sorry? What?”

“I love you too!” she blurted before she lost her nerve.

Adrien grimaced and started to pull away. “I know. Because of the love potion.”

“No!” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm. “No. I mean…” She averted her gaze, cheeks glowing a soft pink. “…since that day when you walked me home after Madame Mendeleiev’s potions class. It was raining, and we’d both forgotten our umbrellas, so you conjured up that spell to make the rain go around us.”

A shy smile spread across her lips at the memory. “We chased the raindrops around, and they avoided us. We jumped in puddles, but we didn’t get wet. It had been so long since I’d last played in the rain and laughed that hard.”

Timidly, she looked up at him as he stared at her in awe.

“That was the first time I’d heard you laugh…. You have a really beautiful laugh, you know?”

Adrien’s jaw dropped, and he stepped forward as if in a daze. His hands went to her waist as he whispered, “Marinette…can this really be happening?”

She pushed her glasses up on her nose and nodded. “I thought I was the only one who felt this way for so long. I can barely believe it either.” Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re sure you’re not delusional because of the love potion?”

“I am absolutely positive that I’ve been pining for you hard all these years,” he assured with a chuckle. “Are _you_ sure you’re not under some kind of spell?”

“Adrien, I’ve been under your spell for a _long_ time,” she purred, closing the distance between them for a long overdue kiss.

The

End

**Author's Note:**

> So, did anyone catch the Romeo and Juliet allusion near the beginning? If you did, twenty points to you.
> 
> Did you like the story? Was there a particular line or scene that you enjoyed? I hope you liked it.
> 
> This was fun to write. Thank you very much to the anon who sent in the prompt, and thank you to everyone for reading!
> 
> Come follow me on [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/).


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